Friday, October 24, 2008
Working Girl
From Monday to Thursday this week I had to come to school, but didn't have to teach any classes due to the glory that is midterm exam week. I was able to leave early too, at 2pm. It was wonderful. I wasted plenty of time, but I also got to spend a fair amount of my work day thinking about classes, and creating a couple of lesson plans. I loved it. The planning can be far more interesting than the shit show that is teaching my classes. Today is Friday, and I started teaching my latest lesson. It's actually a lesson I borrowed from another teacher, a couple of weeks ago when I went to a different school to observe an experienced GET teach a class. It's a great lesson, but I needed to adapt it a bit for my classes. It still needs some work, but I think the first two times through this morning went OK. I actually kind of had a bit of fun! WHAT?! And now I am hanging out online at my desk, waiting for my afternoon class to begin. It's Friday, and that is always a good thing. Lunch today was actually pretty good (bibimbap and tater tots!), and I am going to hang out and drink wine with friends tonight. The only negative thing is that I am teaching my teachers class after school. I don't mind the class at all, but I hate that it's after school: keeping me here an hour late on a Friday is MEAN!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Gwangalli Fireworks Festival
This past weekend was the 4th annual Fireworks Festival at Gwangalli Beach. I had heard it would be pretty awesome, and made plans with some fellow EPIK teachers to attend. At first I thought I might go Friday and Saturday, but as I learned more about the event (basically that it was very well attended and would be crazy-busy) I decided it would probably be best to just go and spend the day there on Saturday.
There was a meet-up planned for 2pm. Although the event didn't start until 6pm (fireworks at 8pm), I kept being warned by teachers at school that it would be VERY BUSY and it would be best to show up early. I took them at their word, and planned to leave by 1pm. I was a bit slow moving come Saturday morning, and Kathryn and I didn't end up leaving until 1:45. It was hot. And sunny. Felt like summer (27°) - a perfect day to hang out at the beach! We headed over to Alex's to pick him up but ended up waking him from a dead sleep (oops!). He decided to meet us there later. Kathryn and I walked to Nampo Dong (our nearest subway stop) and hopped on the train. It was busy, but not terribly crowded (we even got seats). The transfer station was another story... When we arrived at Seomyeon station we could tell that things were picking up. We walked briskly to the transfer and the train we needed to get on was waiting! Score! We jogged up to it and saw that it was full. Quite full. But the doors were still open and we were not going to give up! We ran back a few cars, looking for some space to slip in. Kathryn was a couple of steps behind me and jumped into one of the cars, calling my name. As I turned back towards her the doors started to close and I made one of those last-second jumps through the doors that you only see in movies - it was awesome! So we rode the next 20 minutes or so with very little personal space, but reasonably comfortable.
When we arrived at the Gwangan subway station (0ur destination) all of the masses flooded off the subway and we rode the wave of people out of the station and up to the street. It's about a 10 minute walk from the subway to the beach and we had lots to look at: street vendors selling all kinds of different foods and people everywhere. I had talked to my friend Rebecca (who lives much closer to Gwangalli) and she was saving us a space on the beach. A few of them had arrived at 1pm and staked out some prime beach real-estate for fireworks observing. Good thing too, because it was getting busy! Even at 3pm (when we finally got there) - 3 hours before anything was supposed to happen, and 5 hours before the main event - the beach was quickly filling up. We settled in for an afternoon of sitting around, talking, playing cards, drinking beer, lying in the sand etc. By 4:30 or so we needed to start protecting our borders. Like I said, we had staked a pretty large claim, people kept leaving to get food, drinks and hit the restroom, plus not all of our friends had arrived yet. But the locals were eying up our empty spaces like they were planning to move in. We ended up having to give up a bit of property, but we still had plenty of room for everyone who was able to make it.
By 5pm the beach was packed! The security guards were blocking off access to the beach, so no one could get in. We had some friends who arrived late, and they had to sneak in past the security guards. Thankfully, we were saving space for them to sit because there was no more room anywhere on the beach. At 6pm some live entertainment started up a ways down the beach. We couldn't see it, but there were big speakers set up behind us so we could hear. There were no port-a-potties or anything of the like anywhere, so if you had to go, you had to leave the sanctity of the beach and cross the street (which was also filling up with people) to one of the restaurants, cafes, bars, etc. to use their toilets. I don't usually need a friend to go to the restroom with me, but there was no way I was going out there alone, so Rebecca, Kelsey and I held hands tightly (so we wouldn't get lost in the crowd) and made our way out.
When we hit the barrier of security guards, Rebecca (who was in the lead) spoke to one of them to let them know that we were just going out to use the restroom, and that we were coming right back. He agreed to let us back in (score!). We crossed the street (full of people) to Lotteria (full of people) and climbed the stairs to the restrooms. There were two flights of stairs full of women waiting in line. We finally found the back of the line and stood there for a few minutes before deciding that we'd better try somewhere else or we'd be waiting for 2 hours! We joined hands and made our way back out to the street to try our luck somewhere a bit further away. Rebecca (heroine of the day all around) got the idea to try something above street level (which kept getting more and more packed with people by the second). We forced our way into a crowd blocking access to a nearby building and climbed the stairs to a lounge called BLUE. It was quite nice inside and there was hardly anyone in there! Since we are foreigners, we tend to be able to get away with doing things that Koreans would never be able to do (like walking into a semi-upscale lounge, heading straight for the restrooms, and then leaving with only an annyeonghaseyo [hello]! and kamsahamnida [thank-you]!). Some call it "white privilege." When mother nature calls, I have no problems accepting it!
With business taken care of we made our way back into the madness. When we hit the barrier again, we saw some of our friends hanging out in the street, unable to get back to the beach (security was really cracking down). We marched right up and basically said "let us in!" and they said "aniyo!" [no]. We had to get a little bit forceful (Rebecca is awesome!) but they finally let us all under the barrier rope and back to the beach. Let's just say that the masses of Koreans, who were also trying to get in, were not impressed.
The fireworks were totally worth hanging around all day for. They were phenomenal! By far, the best display I have ever seen. The Gwangan Bridge was the perfect background for the show. The bridge is usually lit up with lights of changing colors, but it was enhanced with colored laser beams the like. They were shooting some of the fireworks from the bridge, but the majority were launched from big boats in the harbor. There was music playing on the giant loudspeakers. There was such a variety of types and colors, and the most amazing part is that it went on for nearly an hour! It was incredible. I took lots of photos and some video (that I still need to upload), but they don't do the show justice at all. Definitely one of those "you had to be there" experiences.
After the show we stuck around and waited for the beach to clear out a bit before making any moves. Our enormous group split up, and I went with a dozen or so people to a noraebang in the vicinity. We picked up a few more EPIK people along the way (who hadn't arrived early enough to make it to the beach) and spent an hour singing. It was still fairly early (and the streets were still busy) so we walked to the Kyungsung University area to go to a bar called Ghetto. They had cheap drinks and dance music so we stuck around there for awhile. Eventually it was time for me to make my way home (but not before we all hit the 24-hour McDonalds). My first time in a taxi alone in Korea! I was lucky to get a young and friendly cab driver who attempted to make conversation, and I was able to give directions to get home without incident.
There was a meet-up planned for 2pm. Although the event didn't start until 6pm (fireworks at 8pm), I kept being warned by teachers at school that it would be VERY BUSY and it would be best to show up early. I took them at their word, and planned to leave by 1pm. I was a bit slow moving come Saturday morning, and Kathryn and I didn't end up leaving until 1:45. It was hot. And sunny. Felt like summer (27°) - a perfect day to hang out at the beach! We headed over to Alex's to pick him up but ended up waking him from a dead sleep (oops!). He decided to meet us there later. Kathryn and I walked to Nampo Dong (our nearest subway stop) and hopped on the train. It was busy, but not terribly crowded (we even got seats). The transfer station was another story... When we arrived at Seomyeon station we could tell that things were picking up. We walked briskly to the transfer and the train we needed to get on was waiting! Score! We jogged up to it and saw that it was full. Quite full. But the doors were still open and we were not going to give up! We ran back a few cars, looking for some space to slip in. Kathryn was a couple of steps behind me and jumped into one of the cars, calling my name. As I turned back towards her the doors started to close and I made one of those last-second jumps through the doors that you only see in movies - it was awesome! So we rode the next 20 minutes or so with very little personal space, but reasonably comfortable.
When we arrived at the Gwangan subway station (0ur destination) all of the masses flooded off the subway and we rode the wave of people out of the station and up to the street. It's about a 10 minute walk from the subway to the beach and we had lots to look at: street vendors selling all kinds of different foods and people everywhere. I had talked to my friend Rebecca (who lives much closer to Gwangalli) and she was saving us a space on the beach. A few of them had arrived at 1pm and staked out some prime beach real-estate for fireworks observing. Good thing too, because it was getting busy! Even at 3pm (when we finally got there) - 3 hours before anything was supposed to happen, and 5 hours before the main event - the beach was quickly filling up. We settled in for an afternoon of sitting around, talking, playing cards, drinking beer, lying in the sand etc. By 4:30 or so we needed to start protecting our borders. Like I said, we had staked a pretty large claim, people kept leaving to get food, drinks and hit the restroom, plus not all of our friends had arrived yet. But the locals were eying up our empty spaces like they were planning to move in. We ended up having to give up a bit of property, but we still had plenty of room for everyone who was able to make it.
By 5pm the beach was packed! The security guards were blocking off access to the beach, so no one could get in. We had some friends who arrived late, and they had to sneak in past the security guards. Thankfully, we were saving space for them to sit because there was no more room anywhere on the beach. At 6pm some live entertainment started up a ways down the beach. We couldn't see it, but there were big speakers set up behind us so we could hear. There were no port-a-potties or anything of the like anywhere, so if you had to go, you had to leave the sanctity of the beach and cross the street (which was also filling up with people) to one of the restaurants, cafes, bars, etc. to use their toilets. I don't usually need a friend to go to the restroom with me, but there was no way I was going out there alone, so Rebecca, Kelsey and I held hands tightly (so we wouldn't get lost in the crowd) and made our way out.
When we hit the barrier of security guards, Rebecca (who was in the lead) spoke to one of them to let them know that we were just going out to use the restroom, and that we were coming right back. He agreed to let us back in (score!). We crossed the street (full of people) to Lotteria (full of people) and climbed the stairs to the restrooms. There were two flights of stairs full of women waiting in line. We finally found the back of the line and stood there for a few minutes before deciding that we'd better try somewhere else or we'd be waiting for 2 hours! We joined hands and made our way back out to the street to try our luck somewhere a bit further away. Rebecca (heroine of the day all around) got the idea to try something above street level (which kept getting more and more packed with people by the second). We forced our way into a crowd blocking access to a nearby building and climbed the stairs to a lounge called BLUE. It was quite nice inside and there was hardly anyone in there! Since we are foreigners, we tend to be able to get away with doing things that Koreans would never be able to do (like walking into a semi-upscale lounge, heading straight for the restrooms, and then leaving with only an annyeonghaseyo [hello]! and kamsahamnida [thank-you]!). Some call it "white privilege." When mother nature calls, I have no problems accepting it!
With business taken care of we made our way back into the madness. When we hit the barrier again, we saw some of our friends hanging out in the street, unable to get back to the beach (security was really cracking down). We marched right up and basically said "let us in!" and they said "aniyo!" [no]. We had to get a little bit forceful (Rebecca is awesome!) but they finally let us all under the barrier rope and back to the beach. Let's just say that the masses of Koreans, who were also trying to get in, were not impressed.
The fireworks were totally worth hanging around all day for. They were phenomenal! By far, the best display I have ever seen. The Gwangan Bridge was the perfect background for the show. The bridge is usually lit up with lights of changing colors, but it was enhanced with colored laser beams the like. They were shooting some of the fireworks from the bridge, but the majority were launched from big boats in the harbor. There was music playing on the giant loudspeakers. There was such a variety of types and colors, and the most amazing part is that it went on for nearly an hour! It was incredible. I took lots of photos and some video (that I still need to upload), but they don't do the show justice at all. Definitely one of those "you had to be there" experiences.
After the show we stuck around and waited for the beach to clear out a bit before making any moves. Our enormous group split up, and I went with a dozen or so people to a noraebang in the vicinity. We picked up a few more EPIK people along the way (who hadn't arrived early enough to make it to the beach) and spent an hour singing. It was still fairly early (and the streets were still busy) so we walked to the Kyungsung University area to go to a bar called Ghetto. They had cheap drinks and dance music so we stuck around there for awhile. Eventually it was time for me to make my way home (but not before we all hit the 24-hour McDonalds). My first time in a taxi alone in Korea! I was lucky to get a young and friendly cab driver who attempted to make conversation, and I was able to give directions to get home without incident.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
No classes, but still at work
Today is a good day. I found out yesterday that I would not have to teach the first grade classes on Tuesday or Wednesday this week, due to testing. I had been dreading this week, so it is great to have a bit of a break. Not that I get the day off or anything. I still need to be here, working or pretending to work. I've done a bit of lesson prep, some socializing and some web surfing. And my day is only half over!
I had a pretty good weekend. Friday was quiet. I decided to stay home since I had an early meeting on Saturday morning. I watched a bit of tv and did some preliminary research on the possibility of going back to school when I return to Canada. I've been looking into the MLIS (Masters of Library and Information Science). There are 6 schools in Canada that offer the program: UBC, U of A, U of T, McGill, Western and Dalhousie. I need to do a lot more research before I make any decisions, but that's where I'm leaning right now.
Saturday morning I was up bright and early to take the bus to the Pusan Foreign Language University. Having been chosen to attend another (free!) field trip, this time to Dokdo from October 25-27, I was required to attend the 10:00am orientation. It wasn't much of an orientation. It was actually two hours of Korean Lectures (we got to wear translator earpieces) on the state of Dokdo Island. There's a bit of a dispute between Korea and Japan about who owns this place and it's a pretty big deal over here. The title of the lectures was "Dokdo is Korean Territory," and they proceeded to tell us all of the many reasons why. It was boring. But I sat through it because I think the trip is going to be pretty cool. We will spend 3 days on a ship, stopping over at a larger island (Ulleungdo) - and I get to miss a day of school :)
I didn't have plans until the evening, so I decided I'd do a bit of shopping. I checked out the Home Plus near the Uni, and found a pair of jeans (I've lost a bit of weight since arriving in Korea), then I took the bus back to Nampo Dong (a fantastic shopping area near where I live - I can walk to and from there). I finally got myself a pair of black/white chucks (low-tops). They're all the rage here, and I've been wanting a pair ever since I had to throw my old ones out. I also hit up a t-shirt place in the underground mall (attached to the subway station) where I heard you can get 2900￦ (about $3) shirts. I scored 5. It was a fun shopping trip. I then walked home to rest up.
Saturday night I had been invited to my co-teacher's ocarina concert. It was a small affair, housed in a Catholic bookshop/coffeeshop run by nuns (the profits go to support a large hospice). The music isn't exactly my style, but it wasn't bad (and lasted just over an hour, so not too time consuming either). I had arranged to meet friends afterwards, so Mrs. Kim (one of the Korean English teachers who lives in the area) offered to walk me to Gwangalli Beach. It was a really nice night, cool, but not cold. We had a nice walk, I introduced Mrs. Kim to my friends, said goodbye, and got down to enjoying some Cass Red on the beach. We stayed there until everyone got cold, then headed to Thursday Party. I needed food. It ended up being a fairly early night. Alex, Kathryn and I took a cab home together.
Sunday was a very lazy day. I spent most of it in bed. I did have to get up eventually though, becuase my landlord had invited me to dinner at his home (to meet his family). I had asked if I could bring Kathryn along (after all, she lives in his building too), so the two of us went together. It was actually quite nice. The landlord's wife is a great cook, the food was good, everyone was friendly, their two children (and the nephew) were cute, his sister and brother-in-law were nice (she actually spoke the most English), and it didn't last too long. I think that's the trick to any Korean socializing I have to do: keep it short!
Today I finally learned my name in Korean: 마샤 (ma-sya *the "s" has a bit of a '"sh" sound to it). I find it strange that there is no "r" sound present in the spelling, since they do have an "r" letter (I thought it might be 말사).
I had a pretty good weekend. Friday was quiet. I decided to stay home since I had an early meeting on Saturday morning. I watched a bit of tv and did some preliminary research on the possibility of going back to school when I return to Canada. I've been looking into the MLIS (Masters of Library and Information Science). There are 6 schools in Canada that offer the program: UBC, U of A, U of T, McGill, Western and Dalhousie. I need to do a lot more research before I make any decisions, but that's where I'm leaning right now.
Saturday morning I was up bright and early to take the bus to the Pusan Foreign Language University. Having been chosen to attend another (free!) field trip, this time to Dokdo from October 25-27, I was required to attend the 10:00am orientation. It wasn't much of an orientation. It was actually two hours of Korean Lectures (we got to wear translator earpieces) on the state of Dokdo Island. There's a bit of a dispute between Korea and Japan about who owns this place and it's a pretty big deal over here. The title of the lectures was "Dokdo is Korean Territory," and they proceeded to tell us all of the many reasons why. It was boring. But I sat through it because I think the trip is going to be pretty cool. We will spend 3 days on a ship, stopping over at a larger island (Ulleungdo) - and I get to miss a day of school :)
I didn't have plans until the evening, so I decided I'd do a bit of shopping. I checked out the Home Plus near the Uni, and found a pair of jeans (I've lost a bit of weight since arriving in Korea), then I took the bus back to Nampo Dong (a fantastic shopping area near where I live - I can walk to and from there). I finally got myself a pair of black/white chucks (low-tops). They're all the rage here, and I've been wanting a pair ever since I had to throw my old ones out. I also hit up a t-shirt place in the underground mall (attached to the subway station) where I heard you can get 2900￦ (about $3) shirts. I scored 5. It was a fun shopping trip. I then walked home to rest up.
Saturday night I had been invited to my co-teacher's ocarina concert. It was a small affair, housed in a Catholic bookshop/coffeeshop run by nuns (the profits go to support a large hospice). The music isn't exactly my style, but it wasn't bad (and lasted just over an hour, so not too time consuming either). I had arranged to meet friends afterwards, so Mrs. Kim (one of the Korean English teachers who lives in the area) offered to walk me to Gwangalli Beach. It was a really nice night, cool, but not cold. We had a nice walk, I introduced Mrs. Kim to my friends, said goodbye, and got down to enjoying some Cass Red on the beach. We stayed there until everyone got cold, then headed to Thursday Party. I needed food. It ended up being a fairly early night. Alex, Kathryn and I took a cab home together.
Sunday was a very lazy day. I spent most of it in bed. I did have to get up eventually though, becuase my landlord had invited me to dinner at his home (to meet his family). I had asked if I could bring Kathryn along (after all, she lives in his building too), so the two of us went together. It was actually quite nice. The landlord's wife is a great cook, the food was good, everyone was friendly, their two children (and the nephew) were cute, his sister and brother-in-law were nice (she actually spoke the most English), and it didn't last too long. I think that's the trick to any Korean socializing I have to do: keep it short!
Today I finally learned my name in Korean: 마샤 (ma-sya *the "s" has a bit of a '"sh" sound to it). I find it strange that there is no "r" sound present in the spelling, since they do have an "r" letter (I thought it might be 말사).
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Happy Hangul Day!
안녕하세요!
I have already taught myself to read and write hangul (with this book). Now, if only I could understand the words that I read!
I just found out that today is Hangul Day.
I have already taught myself to read and write hangul (with this book). Now, if only I could understand the words that I read!
I just found out that today is Hangul Day.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
treadmill and samgyeopsal
Many of my close friends will be stunned to hear that I joined a gym yesterday. I have been anti-gym for many years, after spending too much money on a membership once, and then failing to go after a couple of months. Here's the thing: I need exercise. At home, I could run. There was always plenty of open space, and living so near the river valley in Edmonton was a luxury. But I can't find that here. There is a really nice coastal walk, but it's not quite close enough to encourage me to go. Plus, the idea of running on the streets and in public here is a bit daunting. It's bad enough that I get gawked at walking down the street taking care of my regular business, but I'd rather not be stared and snickered at while sweating and panting. At least at the gym the only people staring are working out themselves. And I'm sure that after the same people get used to seeing me there on a regular basis, I won't be interesting anymore. It's not exactly cheap to join, but it's well within my budget, as long as I continue to go. And I can choose to pay by the month (which I did at first), 3 months or 6 months (it gets cheaper the longer you commit).
After hitting the gym for the first time, I showered and went out for a typical Korean evening with my friends and neighbors, Alex and Kathryn. We went to a Korean BBQ restaurant for samgyeopsal (uncured pork). It's ridiculously cheap! You basically pay for the meat (about $2.50 each) and get free veggies and sauces to go with it. We also ordered rice ($1.00 each) and beer ($3.00 each). It was a really cheap and delicious meal. Alex said that he wants to start eating Korean food more often, and I have to agree. It's cheaper and healthier, and it's good to try new things and find out what I like! It's nice to have people near me to go out and eat with, I'm not sure how adventurous I'd be on my own.
After dinner we went to our local hof (bar that serves beer), WHO. We love this place, and the staff is always happy to see us. We shared a giant jug of beer (3 litres) and chatted. Once the beer was finished we headed to our next-door noraebang for some singing! I feel very fortunate to have one so close (although when other people are wailing at night when I'm trying to sleep, I do need to shove in the earplugs). Singing convenience! The staff seems to enjoy us there, even though a few times we have brought in rowdy crowds. It costs 10,000 won (about $10 - although that's not exactly true with the Korean won going into the toilet these days) for an hour of singing, and they usually end up tacking on an extra 30 minutes. Beer is 3,000 won and you get free snacks (like popcorn, peanuts, dried squid etc.) There are plenty of English songs to choose from, and we always have a great time singing at the top of our lungs :)
Home and in bed by 11:00pm!
After hitting the gym for the first time, I showered and went out for a typical Korean evening with my friends and neighbors, Alex and Kathryn. We went to a Korean BBQ restaurant for samgyeopsal (uncured pork). It's ridiculously cheap! You basically pay for the meat (about $2.50 each) and get free veggies and sauces to go with it. We also ordered rice ($1.00 each) and beer ($3.00 each). It was a really cheap and delicious meal. Alex said that he wants to start eating Korean food more often, and I have to agree. It's cheaper and healthier, and it's good to try new things and find out what I like! It's nice to have people near me to go out and eat with, I'm not sure how adventurous I'd be on my own.
After dinner we went to our local hof (bar that serves beer), WHO. We love this place, and the staff is always happy to see us. We shared a giant jug of beer (3 litres) and chatted. Once the beer was finished we headed to our next-door noraebang for some singing! I feel very fortunate to have one so close (although when other people are wailing at night when I'm trying to sleep, I do need to shove in the earplugs). Singing convenience! The staff seems to enjoy us there, even though a few times we have brought in rowdy crowds. It costs 10,000 won (about $10 - although that's not exactly true with the Korean won going into the toilet these days) for an hour of singing, and they usually end up tacking on an extra 30 minutes. Beer is 3,000 won and you get free snacks (like popcorn, peanuts, dried squid etc.) There are plenty of English songs to choose from, and we always have a great time singing at the top of our lungs :)
Home and in bed by 11:00pm!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
EPIK Field Trip Day 2
The bus was scheduled to leave at 9:30, and breakfast was being served between 8 and 9am. I set the alarm for 8, Sarah got up and showered first, me second, and the two of us were ready by 8:45. Rebecca decided to take her time and asked us to bring her something up if there was anything good. There wasn't. I still can't do Korean breakfast. Rice, kimchi, fish or beef soup just does not do it for me. So after seeing the breakfast laid out on the table I did a 180 and headed back to the room. Rebecca and I hit the convenient store before getting on the bus (which ended up leaving nearly 1/2 an hour late). Breakfast was some mixed nuts and two iced coffees.
Our first stop in Gyeongju was up a huge mountain. We were going to see Seokgulam Grotto (Korean National Treasure No. 24), a cave temple said to be built in 751. The Central Buddha statue housed here stands almost 3.5 meters high. I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, being on a bus tour, we were on a bit of a time schedule, and the mountain was far busier than anyone had expected (althogh it was a long weekend!). As the line leading up to the temple was really long and moving really slowly, we decided that we would have to skip it. This photo is as close as we could get:
Maybe I'll have another opportunity to visit it someday.
The next stop was Bulguksa Temple (located on the same mountain). It was originally built around the 5th century. We had an English speaking tour guide who gave us a bit of info, but I have a hard time remembering the details.
We had time to wander around the grounds and take photos. There are plenty more on my flickr photostream if you are interested.
Our next stop was lunch. It was at a restaurant near the hotel, and they were expecting us so we didn't have to wait. I was happy to hear that lunch would be like bibimbap, because I've enjoyed it the few times I've had it in the past, but for some reason I didn't like it here. It was served in a very hot stone dish (dolsot bibimbap), and maybe that's why, I don't know. I hardly ate anything for lunch, but fortunately there was a store on the main floor of the building so I was able to buy something palateable to eat (although was starting to get a bit sick of pre-packaged food).
After lunch we headed to the Gyeongju National Museum. We were running a bit late, and our tour guide was waiting for us. She said we would only have time to go into one out of three buildings (we later found out that is because she talks a lot and moves very slowly!). Before going inside though, we got to hear the story of the 25 ton Bell of King Seongdeok (National Treasure No. 29), which is over 1200 years old:
The tour guide said that she doesn't belive the rumour that a baby was sacrificed in the making of the bell, because of Buddhists' strong belief in the sanctity of life, citing the fact that if a monk won't even kill a mosquito that is sucking his own blood, how could he kill a baby just to make a bell ring?! She said that story began after Japanese occupation of Korea (implying that the Japanese made up the story to make ancient Koreans sound like monsters).
We were then led to the special exhibit hall for the Silla Meets West Asia exhibit:
Our first stop in Gyeongju was up a huge mountain. We were going to see Seokgulam Grotto (Korean National Treasure No. 24), a cave temple said to be built in 751. The Central Buddha statue housed here stands almost 3.5 meters high. I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, being on a bus tour, we were on a bit of a time schedule, and the mountain was far busier than anyone had expected (althogh it was a long weekend!). As the line leading up to the temple was really long and moving really slowly, we decided that we would have to skip it. This photo is as close as we could get:
Maybe I'll have another opportunity to visit it someday.
The next stop was Bulguksa Temple (located on the same mountain). It was originally built around the 5th century. We had an English speaking tour guide who gave us a bit of info, but I have a hard time remembering the details.
We had time to wander around the grounds and take photos. There are plenty more on my flickr photostream if you are interested.
Our next stop was lunch. It was at a restaurant near the hotel, and they were expecting us so we didn't have to wait. I was happy to hear that lunch would be like bibimbap, because I've enjoyed it the few times I've had it in the past, but for some reason I didn't like it here. It was served in a very hot stone dish (dolsot bibimbap), and maybe that's why, I don't know. I hardly ate anything for lunch, but fortunately there was a store on the main floor of the building so I was able to buy something palateable to eat (although was starting to get a bit sick of pre-packaged food).
After lunch we headed to the Gyeongju National Museum. We were running a bit late, and our tour guide was waiting for us. She said we would only have time to go into one out of three buildings (we later found out that is because she talks a lot and moves very slowly!). Before going inside though, we got to hear the story of the 25 ton Bell of King Seongdeok (National Treasure No. 29), which is over 1200 years old:
We were then led to the special exhibit hall for the Silla Meets West Asia exhibit:
There is a much cooler photo of that stair mural here.
There was lots of cool ancient stuff, like glass beads, gold jewellery etc. I enjoyed looking around, but I had to leave the tour guide. She talked waaaay too much. I like museums, but I enjoy looking and then moving on. I wasn't the only one who felt this way, and there was a pretty large group of us waiting outside until it was time to meet up again.
Our last stop was Anapji Pond where we had 30 minutes to walk around and enjoy. There was an orchestra and opera singers, and I quite enjoyed the performance. The scenery was beautiful too. It's really too bad that the day was so overcast and hazy.
A two-hour bus trip and we were back in Busan around 5:30pm. I still had to take the subway home. A bunch of people from the trip were planning to go out and party later that night, but I was too tired. It was a great trip!
There was lots of cool ancient stuff, like glass beads, gold jewellery etc. I enjoyed looking around, but I had to leave the tour guide. She talked waaaay too much. I like museums, but I enjoy looking and then moving on. I wasn't the only one who felt this way, and there was a pretty large group of us waiting outside until it was time to meet up again.
Our last stop was Anapji Pond where we had 30 minutes to walk around and enjoy. There was an orchestra and opera singers, and I quite enjoyed the performance. The scenery was beautiful too. It's really too bad that the day was so overcast and hazy.
A two-hour bus trip and we were back in Busan around 5:30pm. I still had to take the subway home. A bunch of people from the trip were planning to go out and party later that night, but I was too tired. It was a great trip!
EPIK Field Trip (Day 1)
30 EPIK teachers were selected (from those who applied to go on the trip) for an all-expenses-paid Autumn field trip to other parts of Korea for 2 days and 1 night. I was told we were going to Mokchon (where the Independance Hall is located) to take part in some cultural events for Korea's Foundation Day on Friday, and Geongju (the former capital of the Shilla Dynasty) for sightseeing on Saturday.
We all met at the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education on Friday morning. We were supposed to meet at 8, but of course, there are always stragglers and we didn't leave until 9am. We were told very little about where we were going and what was going to happen, but I managed to figure out that we would arrive somewhere between 12 and 1pm, have lunch, do some cultural stuff (carving, dancing and martial arts were mentioned), have dinner, make some wishes (candles floating down a river were mentioned) and then drive to Gyeongju, where we would spend the night (in rooms of 3 people: same-sex only).
The bus trip was long and uneventful, with one quick pit-stop. I sat with Rebecca, and Sarah was across the aisle from her. Those two slept for the first leg, and I iPodded (music, movies and audiobooks all passed through my earphones), and on the second leg we attempted to have some conversation over the drone of the bus.
We arrived at our destination at around 12:30 and were rushed off for lunch in a cafeteria. It wasn't very good, but I managed to eat. It was a quick bite and then we met for our tour of the main building. Turns out, it was not the Independance Hall at all, but actually a building built for the education of people in Kookhak or Dahn Hak. The event was actually the Grand Opening of the Hongik Historical and Cultural Park.
and that everything begins with one and ends with one. That there are three parts: Heaven, Earth and Human Beings, and that Human Beings include all life between Heaven and Earth (including plants and animals). It was interesting.
Next we were shuttled off to a giant ceremony (10,000 people) up on a hill in a large outdoor stadium, with a giant golden statue of a man:
It was pretty intense. As special "guests" we were given chairs to sit on. I couldn't really see the stage, and the screens weren't very high, so I could barely see them either, but we were given little portable translation devices so that we could understand what was being said. It was like a big rally. We all even sang a song (Arirang) together in Korean (sort of). They demonstrated some traditional Korean drumming and a martial arts sequence. They introduced a bunch of VIPs, and there were video messages from some Korean celebrities. After an hour or so we were told we had free time and we could wander around the grounds or whatever. I did exactly that, ending up sitting on a patch of grass in some shade with the majority of our group (it was really warm on Friday!).
Next we were taken back into the main building, up to a higher floor and given a martial arts demonstration. Well, that's what they told us it would be. In actuality, we were told to spread out in the room and were guided through a series of stretches, bends and contortions. We learned a kata. It was basically a sample class on a Korean martial art (the name excapes me, but it might be Tang Soo Do). It was difficult, but fun.
Next was dinner in the cafeteria again, but dinner was much better and included delicious mandu!
After dinner the sun had set and it was dark outside. We were led to a large grassy area and put in groups of 5 to write our wishes on a large paper lantern, which we then sent up to heaven! The lanterns floated away into the sky carrying our (sincere and silly) wishes, lifted by a small square of paper and fuel lit on fire to fill the lantern with warm air and allow it to fly.
We all met at the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education on Friday morning. We were supposed to meet at 8, but of course, there are always stragglers and we didn't leave until 9am. We were told very little about where we were going and what was going to happen, but I managed to figure out that we would arrive somewhere between 12 and 1pm, have lunch, do some cultural stuff (carving, dancing and martial arts were mentioned), have dinner, make some wishes (candles floating down a river were mentioned) and then drive to Gyeongju, where we would spend the night (in rooms of 3 people: same-sex only).
The bus trip was long and uneventful, with one quick pit-stop. I sat with Rebecca, and Sarah was across the aisle from her. Those two slept for the first leg, and I iPodded (music, movies and audiobooks all passed through my earphones), and on the second leg we attempted to have some conversation over the drone of the bus.
We arrived at our destination at around 12:30 and were rushed off for lunch in a cafeteria. It wasn't very good, but I managed to eat. It was a quick bite and then we met for our tour of the main building. Turns out, it was not the Independance Hall at all, but actually a building built for the education of people in Kookhak or Dahn Hak. The event was actually the Grand Opening of the Hongik Historical and Cultural Park.
Don't get me wrong, it was actually pretty cool. However, it did seem like kind of a religious thing, and I don't like feeling tricked into hearing religious spiels. Anyway, a lot of the stuff they talked about was cool, like the joy of finding your true self. There was talk about the Script of Enlightenment:
Next we were shuttled off to a giant ceremony (10,000 people) up on a hill in a large outdoor stadium, with a giant golden statue of a man:
Next we were taken back into the main building, up to a higher floor and given a martial arts demonstration. Well, that's what they told us it would be. In actuality, we were told to spread out in the room and were guided through a series of stretches, bends and contortions. We learned a kata. It was basically a sample class on a Korean martial art (the name excapes me, but it might be Tang Soo Do). It was difficult, but fun.
Next was dinner in the cafeteria again, but dinner was much better and included delicious mandu!
After dinner the sun had set and it was dark outside. We were led to a large grassy area and put in groups of 5 to write our wishes on a large paper lantern, which we then sent up to heaven! The lanterns floated away into the sky carrying our (sincere and silly) wishes, lifted by a small square of paper and fuel lit on fire to fill the lantern with warm air and allow it to fly.
By now it was at least 7pm, and we still had a 3-hour bus trip to Gyeongju. We hit the bus and with one quick pit-stop, made it to our hotel shortly after 10pm. We were all tired, but decided to at least have some beer before turning in. I roomed with Rebecca and Sarah. We bought a six-pack in the little hotel convenient store before they closed. We just took our beer out to the small park in front of the hotel and sat and talked with a few guys from our trip who were doing the exact same thing as us. Eventually we were finished and cold and tired, so headed up to our room. On the way we heard some others from our group in their room. It sounded like they were playing a drinking game. We pounded on their door and ran back to our room, trying to scare them. One of the girls screamed, but they caught us before we were safely hidden in our own room, and we got an invitation to join them. Since it wasn't too late, we decided we'd go for a bit. I only drank one more beer and headed to bed.
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